Mecachrome confirms bid for F1 2017 ‘client engine’ role

The French based engineering company Mecachrome has joined the bidding process to provide F1 with an independent 2017 client engine role. Mecachrome is most well-known for assembling the engines designed by Renault for the Renault F1 team.

Cosworth has ruled out bidding to build the non-hybrid and almost 900 horse power engine on grounds of cost, but Ilmor, AER already has an engine that can be adapted to the 2.5 litre specification on its benches.

“We won a few months ago the GP3 engine supplier deal from 2016, which will be an atmospheric 3.4L V6,” Jean-Charles Raillat, Racing Activities director for the Mecachrome Group told Motorsport.com.

“We also won the supplier contract for GP2 series from 2017 with a turbo V6, also a 3.4L.

“The FIA request for proposal in F1 imposes a 2.5-litre maximum. Our developed engine basis is absolutely compatible with this FIA request. In terms of resources and capacities, we are totally there. We are used, at Mecachrome, to conceive and industrialize an engine in six months. The planning window is still quite large for us.”

Mecachrome in Formula 1 (from Wiki)

Since 1979 Mecachrome has been involved with Renault Sport, the motorsport division of Renault (though today its F1 operations are conducted through Renault Sport F1, a separate group company).

From 1983 Renault began to supply other teams with engines, Mecachrome was given the responsibility of preparing the engines for these customer teams (e.g. Lotus-Renault in 1983 and Ligier-Renault in 1984). In 1985 Renault withdrew from Formula One as a constructor and withdrew from engine supply for the 1987 season. In 1989 Renault returned to F1 as engine supplier to WilliamsF1 (and Ligier from 1992), with Mecachrome again responsible for preparing the engines for the team.

In 1995 Benetton acquired Ligier’s stock of Renault V10 engines. In 1996 Renault was privatised and the same year announced its withdrawal from Formula One after the 1997 season. In order to avoid protest by shareholders regarding costs of engine development, Mecachrome agreed to pay Renault for the development work in order to continue the relationship. The 1998 engines supplied to Williams carried the Mecachrome name, while Benetton’s engines were badged as “Playlife”.

In 1998 Flavio Briatore’s company, Super Performance Competition Engineering, signed a distribution agreement with Mecachrome to begin in the 1999 season. The engines were purchased and rebadged as Supertec. Supertecs powered Williams in 1999, BAR in 1999 and Arrows in 2000.

In 2001 Renault returned to Formula One by purchasing the Benetton team and the Renault designed engines again carried the Renault name. The relationship remains unchanged, with Renault responsible for design and Mecachrome assembly; this relationship helped Renault win a constructors’ and driver’s F1 championship “double-double” in 2005-2006 with Fernando Alonso.

Mecachrome-assembled Renault engines powered the Red Bull Racing Formula One team to the Constructors’ Championship and Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel to the World Drivers’ Championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

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Best ranked in the World Championship (Constructors) : 3th in 1998
Best ranked in the World Championship (Drivers) : 5th in 1998